Every so often in life, you will come across a friend so special that you will wonder how you ever lived without them. That is exactly the kind of friendship that these two families in Canada were lucky enough to find with a very special cat.

Around ten years ago, Bubby, the cat, randomly appeared on Boyd Abbott's property and started eating some food which had been left out for a different stray. Bubby took Boyd entirely by surprise one day, when he showed up in his kitchen!

But, it didn't take long for the three-legged cat to win Boyd's heart. "He started to come into the house," Boyd said.

"We all got to know him, we all fell in love with him," Boyd’s daughter, Rhonda Wiseman said. "My dad just created this super bond with Bubby, and it was really close."

"It was his little buddy, his company in the evening... they loved each other," Rhonda said. Bubby became a very valuable source of companionship to Boyd.

Sadly, Boyd passed away in 2017. And, although his family continued to take care of Bubby, the cat's visits started becoming few and far between.

Boyd's family were heartbroken about losing track of Bubby, as they knew how much the cat had meant to Boyd. They feared that something had happened to Bubby.

Almost two years later, a photo was posted on the Exploits Valley SPCA Facebook page which looked very familiar. Yep, sure enough, it was Bubby!

It turns out, Boyd's former neighbor, Ray Pinsent, had started a community-wide search for Bubby after spotting the cat roaming around the streets. Ray recognized Bubby immediately, so he made it his mission to find, and rescue, the beloved feline.

One day, Bubby decided to return to a place where he had once found comfort and love - Boyd's house. The new resident notified Ray immediately.

Ray was delighted, and rushed over straight away to take Bubby to the vet for assessment and treatment.

"Bubby was dehydrated, beat up and all," said Sarah McLeod, an Exploits Valley SPCA volunteer.

Sarah fell in love with Bubby immediately! "I’ve seen a lot of cats, hundreds of cats every year, but Bubby, there was just something special about him that I loved," she said.

Boyd's family were thrilled to hear that Bubby had been found. And, of course, Sarah knew she could never part with him, so she decided to take Bubby home with her.

"I wanted to just spoil him and love him for every minute that he had left," she said. And that's exactly what she did!

Bubby settled into his new home with Sarah beautifully. "Bubby with his sad human eyes was loved once before, and he is now again," she said.

"He purrs the minute he wakes up in the morning and as he goes to sleep every night. He must know that he’s home now, for good."

Bubby had two, blissful years with Sarah until, sadly, the three-legged sweetheart passed away.

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard," Sarah wrote.

"We’ll love you forever, Bubby."

Boyd's daughter Rhonda was delighted that Bubby had ended up in such a loving home. "I’m certain that my dad, if he could see this, he’s beaming with pride," she said.